Tandem coating machine



July 7, 1931. J. D. LIPPMANN TANDEM COATING MACHINE Filed May 19,1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR BYJUZ/l/S' D. l/PP/V/MW July 7, 1931. |PPMANN 1,813,411

TANDEM COATING MACHINE Filed May 19. 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IINVENTOR JZ/A/l/S 0. Z/PPM/I/VA/ July 7, 1931. J. D. LIPPMANN 1,313,411

TANDEM COATING MACHINE Filed May l9, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented July 7, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JULIUS D. LIPPMANN, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 'IO TEXTI LEATHER CORPORATION, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY TANDEM COATING MACHINE Application filed May 19,

This invention relates to the coating of a strip of textile fabric for the purpose of producing substitute leather and the like. 1 The object of the invention broadly is to reduce 5 the cost of production of multicoated fabrics of this type. The invention is particularly applicable to a continuous process of coatmg.

Heretofore it has been the usual practice to drag a strip of fabric by a wind-up roll at the end of the apparatus first through a coating machine and then through a drying room after which the fabric has been customarily rolled up on a spindle, carried back to the coater, and again threaded through the coater and the drying room to receive a second coat.

In practice a triple-coated finished product has required three passages through the same machine or, if the machine were arranged,

three similarparts one after the other, it has required operators for each of the three parts making up the machine. If it should be attempted alternately to coatand to dry a fabric by dragging itfrom the far end through all the coating machines and all the drying chambers, too severe a tension stretch would be applied to the fabric, resulting in tearing and damage to the coated surface and often to the fabric itself.

In carrying out my present invention, although I have preserved the continuity of the strip being coated through several coating and drying units, I do not rely upon a dragging force at the end of the set of units to o any more than take up the slack from the last unit, but on the other hand provide dragging propulsion means within each drying unit. I also provide such means as are operable to propel the fabric solely by engagement with the uncoated surface thereof. In addition, I provide means quickly'to effect the drying of each coating .on the surface of the fabric before it becomes necessary for this coated surface to contact with a guiding roller. This initial drying objectively must be carried beyond the tacky point, while additional drying of the coating may be effected in the drying layout before the application of another coat of coatingdope to the fabric.

i Objectively I'provide for the application 1928. Serial No. 278,957.

of a plurality of coats, preferably three or more, at the same time at different localities to a strip of fabric whichwhen finished is a multicoated fabric.

A further object of my invention is to provide for speed coordination between the several propelling means for the fabric strip to accommodate for the stretch of the fabric in its traverse through the apparatus.

It is a further object to combine with this .provision to compensate for the stretching of the fabric a safety means which permits a certain amount of uncommensurate traverse of the strip being coated through the various coating units of my apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means operated positively for drying a coated fabric and for accomplishing this purpose within economical space.

It is a further object of my invention to improve in general and in combination and in details of construction an apparatus for coating, drying and winding up a multicoated stripof fabric in a continuous manner.

The above and further aspects of my invention will be set forth more particularly in the accompanying claims, which are directed to an illustrative embodiment of my invention described in the following specification in connection with the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof. The claims are directed to this illustrative embodiment solely for purposes of illustration and not limitation.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is a two-sheet diagrammatic layout in side elevation partly in vertical section of a triple tandem coater constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the layout shown in Fig. 1 drawn to a reduced scale; Fig. 3 is a cross-section taken through the plane of line I1IIII of Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the drying'hood at the locality of the removable part; Fig. 5 is a perspective. disassembled view, parts being broken away of the hood construction with particular reference to the removable curved part; and Fig. 6 is a. detailed cross-section with parts broken away means to take u and parts shown in elevation of the distal end of the drying hood.

Three complete operating units, A, B and C areillustrated, completing the tandem coater. Each unit comprises a coater 1 and a dryer 2. The invention, however, comprises more than the mere arrangement of these three units A, B and C in series with a fabric strip D to be coated passing therethrough. According to ordinary practice a stock roll 3 of the fabric D might be provided at the proximal end of the apparatus and a wind-up roll 4 of this fabric D at the distal end of the apparatus. Such rolls are illustrated in this embodiment, but they are totally incapable of carrying through the functioning desired. Suflicient power applied to the wind-up roll 4 to drag the fabric D through the three coating machines and three drying rooms would result in tearing the fabric strip in two somewhere between the winding roll 4 and the-entrance to second unit. If it were conceivable that the fabric strip could stand the draggin stress at the distal end of the apparatus su ficient to draw the entire strip through the three units, it would without doubt crinkle it and become corrugated by the stretch and distorted out of all semblance to that of the desired finished product.

On the contrary, in connection with the practice of my invention within each drying unit 2 is provided a driving or propulsion card roll E power-driven by a suitable propulsion mechanism to impart to it a peripheral speed commensurate with the desired linear traverse of the fabric strip D at that particular locality, while the wind-up r0114 at the distal end of the apparatus is constantly over-driven through friction the final slack of the finished fabric strip, but not so as to exert a driving force of any appreciable amount upon the fabric strip; in fact not to exert any dragging movement upon the strip back of the last card-roll E. For example, the card roll E of unit A engages solely the uncoated" undersurface of the fabric strip D and operates upon the bight F of fabric D which encircles the card roll E, one ply 5 of which extends forth from the guidln roll 6 to the card roll F and another ply of which extends back to the guidingroll 8. Within the drying apparatus additional guide rolls 9, 10, 11, 12 and 13 are provided constraining the fabric strip D to continue in the form of zig-zag laps down to the exit portion 14 which extends up to the second coater 1. A suitable framework 15 may be covered by a as and heat retaining wall structure 16, 1%, 18 and 19, it being preferred that the wall16 be easily removable. One of the functions of the zigzag plies between the rolls 9, 10, etc. is to employ gravity acting upon the substantial horizontal runs to serve as an automatic take-out maintain.- ing a normal tightness for the lap 7 regardless of whether the zigzag laps vary somewhat in their slackness. This acts as an automatic compensation to take care of any inaccuracy between the propulsion speed imparted tovthe card roll E and the first unit and to that of the next unit in a distal direction.

Within each drying unit is provided a forced feed drying drum or hollow apron G which envelops the bight F of coated fabric and is provided with exit perforations 21 serving to drag forcible jets of conditioned hot drying gas upon the coated surface of the fabric D.- This heated conditioned drying gas is supplied from a pressure main 25, each local supply being controllable by a damper 26 controlling the local flow to each local apron or hood G through a branch duct 27.

The detailed construction of this drying apron G is shown best in Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 6. Fig.3 shows the mounting of the apron within the drying room frame with the arrows indicating the forced jets of drying gas upon the fabric. Each drying apron comprises three main parts30, 31 and 32. The runs 30' and 32 are substantially horizontal and are connectable and disconnectable at the right hand ends as shown in Fig. 1 by the curvilinear or cylindrical flue 31 which together with the runs 30 and 32 are formed so as to permit ready and frequent connections and disconnections. Flanges 35 and 36 are formed on the ends of the runs 30 and 32, while symmetrically similar flanges 37 and 38 are formed on the cylindrical duct 31. The ends of the duct 31 telescope over the mouths 40 of the parts 30 and 32 'while a pair of clampin cleats 41 and 42 engage the flanges 35 and 3 and 36, 38 respectively detachable to hold the parts together. The assembled relation is shown in Fig. 4 of the disassembled perspectively illustrated parts shown in Fig. 5. I

The terminal end of this drying hood is fitted with the flange construction adoptedto be closed by a flanged terminal cap 45 as shown in Fig. 6. This cap is removable by sliding to facilitate the cleaning of the interior of the apparatus.

The removability of the cylindrical flue 31 is of importance to permit the threading of the fabric strip D about the card roll E and to facilitate the disposition of the bight in fabric F thereabout and also for the purpose of renewing the card cloth on this card roll when such becomes necessary.

The coaters 1 may be of any suitable an usual type, although they are shown comprising doctor blades 50 and .local dope reservoirs 51 discharging dope through their spouts 52 directly upon the upper surface of the fabric D to be distributed by the doctor blades 50.

For the proper propulsion of the fabric through the apparatus illustrated, two commerical variable speed devices known as speeders H and I are provided. These speeders are Well known in the art and may be designated as speeders. It is convenient to mount one speeder H upon the drying room frame of intermediate room B and the second speeder I upon the drying room frame on the last unit C. Power is received from the power belt 60 and is passed through on a suitable counter shaftand pulleysand belt 61 to pulley 62, shaft 63, pulleys 64 and 65 by belts 66 and 67 respectively. Speeders I and H, that is, the belts 66 and 67 apply power to the driven end of the speeders. A system of sprocket chains and sprockets 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76 and 77 eflects simultaneous speed control of both the speeders H and I, so that a hand engagement of the sprocket chain 76 located within reach of the operator attending the coater 1 of a unit is sufficient to control the speed imparted to each of the card rolls E for each of the three units, and likewise to control the wind-up speed for wind-up roll 4.

The application of power from the speeders H and I to the card rolls is effected through a drive pulley 8O fixed tothe shaft 81' of each card roll through suitable belts 81, 82 and 83. Speeder H, through the medium of belts 84 and 81, drives the card roll of unit A and also through the medium of belts 85 and 83 operates the card roll of unit C. The speeder I through the medium of belt 86 and belt 82 drives the card roll of the intermediate unit B. The friction wind-up device 90 of windup roll 4 is driven through belt 91 and belt 94, extending from the main power shaft without the intermediar of one of the speeders because of the fact t at this wind-up roll is always slightl overdriven and strippage is permitted. In t e initial set-up of the apparatus the relative sizes of the pulleys employed is such as to provide the desired degree of increased peri heral speed for card 7 roll E of unit B over t at of unit A, and for card 'roll A of unit 0 over that of unit B to allow for the stretch of the fabric occasioned by the tension thereon and by the effect of the doctor blades. It is also preferable that the sprocket wheel be adjustable on its shaft rmit of relative ad uStment in the contro of the speeders H and I.

What I claim and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent is 1. Tandem apparatus for fabricatin coat-- ed fabric comprising several longitu inally spaced dope appliers; a drying hood spaced after each-dope apfplier; means for drawing a strip of tbxtile abric in tandem through said dope ap h'ers and'drying hoods comprismg a propu ion roll associated with each drying hood; and means for simultaneously driving said propulsion rolls at various 1ndividual propulsion speeds whereby said fabric as an entirety is propelled throughout its length instead of be1n dragged solely at its; far end, and where y com ensation for stretch in said fabric is provi ed.

2. In combination two or more dope appliers and two or more drying room layouts for simultaneously multicoatlng a continuous moving strip of fabric characterized by the fact that a driven card roll engaging solely the uncoated surface of said fabric is provided for each drying room layout and JULIUS D. LIPPMANN. 

